Never hesitate to call a spade a spade. One of the most frequent violations of good taste consists in the effort to dress a common subject in high-sounding language. The ass in the fable showed his stupidity when he put on the lion’s skin and expected the other animals to declare him to be the king of beasts. The distinction of a subject lies in its own inherent character, and no pompous parade of words will serve to exalt a commonplace theme.
Poetic Terms
In the expression of homely ideas and the discussion of affairs of every-day life, avoid such poetic forms as o’er for over, ne’er for never, ’mid for amid, e’en for even, ’gan for began, ’twixt for betwixt, ’neath for beneath, list for listen, oft for often, morn for morning, eve for evening, e’er for ever, ere for before, ’tis for it is, ’twas for it was.
In all prose composition, avoid such poetic forms as swain, wight, mead, brake, dingle, dell, zephyr.
Foreign Words
The unrestrained use of foreign words, whether from the ancient or from the modern languages, savors of pedantry and affectation. The ripest scholars, in speaking and writing English, make least use of foreign words or phrases. Persons who indulge in their use incur the risk of being charged with a desire to exhibit their linguistic attainments.
On the other hand, occasions arise when the use of words from a foreign tongue by one who is thoroughly familiar with them, will add both grace and exactness to his style.
Rarely use a foreign term when your meaning can be as well expressed in English. Instead of blasé, use surfeited, or wearied; for cortège use procession for couleur de rose, rose-color; for déjeuner, breakfast; for employe, employee; for en route, on the way; for entre nous, between ourselves; for fait accompli, an accomplished fact; for in toto, wholly, entirely; for penchant, inclination; for raison d’être, reason for existence; for recherché, choice, refined; for rôle, part; for soirée dansante, an evening dancing party; for sub rosa, secretly, etc.
The following incident from the Detroit Free Press is in point:
The gentleman from the West pulled his chair up to the hotel table, tucked his napkin under his chin, picked up the bill-of-fare and began to study it intently. Everything was in restaurant French, and he didn’t like it.